The Animal mummies

Description

Although vital to ancient Egyptian religion, the preservation of dead animals evidently held varying shades of meaning. This program studies ways in which the Egyptians mummified a wide range of creatures, highlighting two purposes for the practice-one spiritually reverent, one blatantly commercial. Exploring the web of tunnels beneath the Saqqara pyramids, the program distinguishes between mystical burials, such as the immense sarcophagi of the sacred Apis bulls, and the millions of smaller mummies warehoused in the complex centuries later. The possibility of a "mummification craze," akin to the buying and selling of indulgences, helps depict Egypt's Ptolemaic decline.

Runtime

25 min

Series

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2006], c2004

Database

Films on Demand

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